It's been 22 years since the death of the late Selena Quintanilla, and on Friday the "Queen of Tejano" was honored with a wax figure at Madame Tussauds New York.
The wax figure of the 'Queen of Tejano' is the latest addition to the New York collection. The figure is an exact replica of the one that made its debut at Madame Tussauds Hollywood in August.
Suzette Quintanilla, Selena's sister, said they chose the outfit because the bustier was an iconic staple in Selena's wardrobe.
“I thought this was awesome. What an honor and what a great way to have her here and to represent Latinos,” Quintanilla told NBC News. “They could have chosen anyone; the fact that they chose Selena, I think, it speaks volumes. She’s definitely a legend.”
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Quintanilla said she was very content with the wax figure of her sister. She also said she feels very proud and grateful that Selena is loved by so many.
"I'm extremely grateful...I'm very proud that Selena is still being loved, not only by Latinos, but all cultures," Suzette said. "There are many different people that love Selena and I'm ecstatic about it."
A few lucky fans were granted early access to attend the unveiling, meet with Quintanilla and take pictures with the Selena figure, after winning the ‘Celebrate Selena’ contest hosted by the museum.
The contest asked fans to share their favorite Selena moments on Instagram with the hashtags #CelebrateSelenaNY and #NYCWAX. The top ten most creative posts were chosen to attend the unveiling.
“I upload a video of me singing at a bar with one of my friends involved in it and it was awesome," Natalie Ortiz, one of the contest winners said. "It brought a lot of love to the place.”
Ortiz said that despite it being over two decades since Selena's death, her music and legacy is still inspiring young Latinas like herself.
“Selena helped me be more comfortable with being a Latina especially because my Spanish isn’t very good and hers wasn’t as well so she kind of validated my identity as a Latina,” said Ortiz.
The general manager of the museum, Anna Domingo, said that it was one of the most emotional moments to have Selena at the New York museum.
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"It’s been years waiting to get her figure. It means the world for her fans and it means the world for our staff, especially with the collaboration of the Quintanilla family, who have been wonderful during the whole journey to create the figure," Domingo said. "I think Selena represents a pure joy of life and completely positive vibes, which is what we feel.”
Selena died on March 31, 1995, after she was shot at a hotel in Corpus Christi, Texas by Yolanda Saldívar, the president of her fan club in San Antonio.
